Behold, my badass combat pack!

[Doczilla]

With regards to the 500cc IV bags, you could drain off the air and half the fluid volume from a 1000cc bag to save space and weight.

I agree on dumping the intubation kit. If you felt bad about not having one, you could go lighter with a 2AA handle and plastic disposable blades to offload some weight. Ditch the #3 Miller, since there aren't any airways you can handle with the #3 and not the #4 (it'll be long, but it'll do.). You may consider the King LT-D or LT-DS instead of the combitube to save on space and weight.

Dump the FAST 1. They're big and they rattle. Instead go with the manual driver and a couple of EasyIO needles (the powered handle is a bit heavy for a combat pack). Much lighter and a bit smaller. Alternatively, the Jamshidi or another regular IO needle isn't a bad choice. Perhaps it doesn't seem as high-speed as the FAST 1, but my success with the FAST is mixed having used it several times.

Rocephin isn't a bad way to go for a lot of stuff. Ancef is the go-to drug from the trauma and ortho guys, but the ID guys don't think it's all that great. You may want to add clindamycin (which is cheap, and available in IV and PO forms) which will cover all manner of skin infections, anaerobes included. Any hospital around should have it.

Perhaps a few little bitty LED lights? Drop me a line and I'll send you some.

Don't forget to have fun while you're out there!

'zilla

[Dustdevil]

With regards to the 500cc IV bags, you could drain off the air and half the fluid volume from a 1000cc bag to save space and weight.

Hmmm... I kinda like that idea! I will have to experiment with that one. Will probably have to consider a reduced shelf life after tampering though, right? May have to e-mail a pharmacist at Ft. Sam with that question.

I agree on dumping the intubation kit. If you felt bad about not having one, you could go lighter with a 2AA handle and plastic disposable blades to offload some weight. Ditch the #3 Miller, since there aren't any airways you can handle with the #3 and not the #4 (it'll be long, but it'll do.). You may consider the King LT-D or LT-DS instead of the combitube to save on space and weight.

Yes, we have the plastic SpecOps intubation kits here (with the Pelican light handle), and I will probably throw one in there for visualisation sake, if nothing else. The Combitubes fit fine in the back slot. I have no experience with a King, but we have them around, so I'll check them out.

Dump the FAST 1. They're big and they rattle.

No doubt about that!

Instead go with the manual driver and a couple of EasyIO needles (the powered handle is a bit heavy for a combat pack). Much lighter and a bit smaller. Alternatively, the Jamshidi or another regular IO needle isn't a bad choice. Perhaps it doesn't seem as high-speed as the FAST 1, but my success with the FAST is mixed having used it several times.

I'm at the mercy of the Naval medlog system, and they only have the FAST. But there is an Army guard unit here that might have something different. I'll check with them. I'll try anything once!

Rocephin isn't a bad way to go for a lot of stuff. Ancef is the go-to drug from the trauma and ortho guys, but the ID guys don't think it's all that great. You may want to add clindamycin (which is cheap, and available in IV and PO forms) which will cover all manner of skin infections, anaerobes included. Any hospital around should have it.

Clinda is plentiful here. I'm on it myself right now, haha! In fact, we could get by on Ancef and Clinda alone in trauma.

Perhaps a few little bitty LED lights? Drop me a line and I'll send you some.

I love those little lights! Great for not waking up the entire tent when you move around at night. Those who fly have to keep one of each colour because each aircraft utilises different colour interior lights. They're 4 or 5 bucks at the PX, and I have them on my vest and my flight suit zipper.

Don't forget to have fun while you're out there!

Having the time of my life, Bro! Somebody's gotta do it. It may as well be me. But I'll tell ya, I'd rather see fifty viral GE's a day than another kid with his legs gone. It's more fun to look at my pack than to actually use it.

[tniuqs]

Dust:

Just an idea here, if you have a need to ventilate patient and need to free up a spare hand, the VAR (pressure controller) Ventilator is a real work saver (Bird -in-a- Bag coined by RRTs.) it was a developed for SARs epidemic in T.O. if you want one pm me I will send one to you, they weigh about 4 ozs. and one can drive it with a 50 psi wall outlet, or use a regular flowmeter..

cheers

[Dustdevil]

Dude, I would love to check those out! We have three types of ventilators here. Set up in the ambulance, we have a PneuPac Parapac, which is simple (too simple, actually) but effective. In the ALS bag we have an LSP 2000 hooked up to the O[sub:2806b85bd8]2[/sub:2806b85bd8] regulator yoke and ready to go (meh... it's light and easy). And in the hospital we have Impact Uni-Vent 754s for flights and long term controlled ventilation. I wish we could leave one mounted in the ambo, but it isn't happening. I have been wanting to play with the VAR though and put it through its paces. Is is paramedic, I mean "idiot" proof?

[tniuqs]

Green Dude:

Nope VORTAN is "NOT' goof proof...no alarms, and best use an ETCO2 to monitor efficacy of ventilations, a bit of a different way of thinking when it comes to ventilation fer sure, (a Pressure Controller) but no worries about calculating ideal body weight...tee hee.

http://www.floteco2.com/htm/Products/B-VOR...esuscitator.htm

But never the less, one can ventilate a hamster to a moose, it is really light, and one can scab off darn near any source of O2 delivery system.

They look pretty cheezy, but Dr. Birds ideas still live on...hey maybe we could find one in Camo for you :shock:

[Doczilla]

Hey Dust-

Now that you've had some time "in country", have you made any changes to your load? Are there things you don't have but wish you did, or things that aren't as useful as you thought they'd be?

'zilla

[Dustdevil]

Good question! Actually, it raises a sore spot. I transferred out to a firebase on the edge of Ramadi last week for what was supposed to be a 1 month TDY (R&R relief). Well, it turns out this will probably be a permanent assignment. That's not really a bad thing, as I love this new place! On the grounds of one of Saddams palace playgrounds with lots of scenic sites and trees (oh how I have missed trees the last 5 months!). But I only packed my clothes and essential personal items with me. My combat pack, as well as three foot lockers of belongings, are still back at Al Taqaddum. And, unfortunately, the person I relieved here was a real slacker on keeping this place well organised and stocked, so the pack I am currently working out of is the dregs. And the rapid availability of resupply on a firebase is, well... non-existent. So, I am missing my pack right now and hope it arrives soon!

Anyhow, yes, I have definitely made some changes:

• Increased Asherman Chest Seals to 10 (learned that lesson REAL quick!)

Deleted QuickClot

Deleted old style 4x7 individual combat dressings

Increased Israeli Dressings to 6

Deleted the BP cuff

Deleted TraumaDex

Deleted IV Start Kits

Deleted Tegaderm

Added 2" Nylon tape

Decreased SAM splints to 1

Deleted 3" Ace bandages

Deleted MultiTrauma Dressing

Deleted ET tubes

Deleted Intubation supplies

Deleted NuTrake kit

Added 2 cuffed Shiley tubes

Deleted Hespan

Increased NS IV to 3

Increased Bandage shears to 2

Deleted Rocephin

Added 2 1gm Ancef

Added 2 10mg MS

• It's so easy to fall into the "new toys" trap when you first get here. But pretty quickly you get back to the basics. Not only does experience do that for you, but simply having to carry all that weight around gets your head straight pretty quick too! That thing sure rides a lot more comfortably now, and it is indeed more functional.

[daniel h]

I'm leaving tomorrow for train up to leave for iraq and i've been wanting to get a medic bag to throw in my truck ( i'm a 11b 50cal gunner in a 11h unit) all im given is a cls bag, which my saline bags are expired (imagine that) and stuff is missing, i have a small personal first aid kit that has a some gauze pads,on each of 22-14g caths,few Tourniquet's,one 500cc bag of NS,band-aid's and a opa kit, few pairs of gloves and a pair of shears that i always keep in my ruck sack.

Since im a emt-i on the civilian side it's always nice to have a medic already in with the infantry so im looking to get something a little bigger so that if something does ever happen i'll have something readily available, the pictures you have of your pack aren't showing up on my computer so i can't see how you have yours set up but what would you suggest getting that i could throw in my truck with me and where i could affordably get it from?

[JackFoster]

http://zombiehunters.org/forum/index.php

You could prolly pick up a link from these guys. They do some sort of disaster service, in the middle of their geeky zombie hunting. Anyhoo, they have all kinds of combat-looking kits.

[Dustdevil]

Hey Daniel... I would stick with the CLS bag, or maybe 2 of them if you want to travel heavy. If you get a STOMP II or London Bridge bag, you'll probably stop carrying it after the first few weeks. It's just heavy and bulky to be taking up space in your Hummer. All the vehicles are now given a bag (I forget the name) that carries the collapsing field stretcher in the main compartment, and has outside compartments for medical supplies. Looks like a big backpack. I'd say just use that and keep it well outfitted yourself, then just put your personal stuff in the CLS bag.

I wouldn't worry about acquiring anything stateside. Once you get here, just hit the closest BAS and grab a bag full of Israeli dressings, Asherman Chest Seals, HemCon dresssings or Celox pouches, and some new IV setups, airways, and CAT tourniquets. Big fat rolls of Kerlix are important for wound packing under the Izzy dressings, as well as for clearing out wounds before Celox or Quick Clot application.

Not sure what the Army is doing for IFAKs now since I am assigned to the Marines now, but our IFAKs each have 2 Izzys, 2 Kerlix, 2 HemCons, a CAT, 2 triangulars, a Water Gel dressing, and Band Aids. If your guys each have something like that on their IBA, you'll find you won't need to carry much of your own in the field. About the only time I need my bag is for advanced stuff, prolonged care, injured on the FOB, and for Army guys who aren't good about carrying their own IFAK.

Of course, don't forget the routine stuff like tweezers, assorted bandaids, ibuprofen, eye wash, antiseptic wipes, etc... for the minor boo boos. A lot of guys tend to forget about that.

I'm going to try and get those photos reloaded to the earlier posts later today.

Good luck! Look me up if you make it to Anbar Province.